Yes, you can take your kids out to eat. No, it doesn't have to be Chuck E Cheese.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant

Beardy, Smalls, and I went to Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant recently for lunch. Saigon is on Madison Boulevard, in the shopping center behind Golden Rule BBQ, with Dirt Cheap and Madison Cycles. We were there from about 11:15 to 12, and when we left, about 3/4 of the tables were full. Smalls was the only kid there, but that was ok. It's very casual.

Beardy and I had been here before; Beardy works nearby, and it's fairly popular with his co-workers. This time, I had bun ga nuong (charbroiled chicken on rice vermicelli), and Beardy had pad thai. Mine was good--noodles, chicken, cucumbers, and bean sprouts with a sweetish sauce on the side. Smalls ate most of my cucumbers, and tried but didn't like my chicken. She tried it before I added chili sauce. We have had the hot clay pot dishes before, and they're really good. I've had the pho, too. It comes in small, regular, and "x-large" bowls. I think I got regular, and it was still pretty huge. And good.

The kids' menu.

They do have a kids' menu, but we didn't end up ordering off of it. I did see rice noodles on the sides menu, though, and knew Smalls would like those. I also spotted "boiled egg." Ok, that's one of Smalls's favorite things right now--a hard boiled egg that she gets to peel herself. I asked the waitress if it was really a hard boiled egg, and it was. Perfect.

The egg came freshly boiled, so it was hot. I needed a way to cool down the egg quickly. I thought, how do I cool eggs at home? Dunk them in ice water. What am I drinking with lunch? Ice water. So... yes, the egg went into my drink. I tried to put it in and take it out while no one was looking. I'm pretty this is a horrible faux pas, but it worked. And I even drank my water afterwards. While the egg was cooling, Smalls commented that it looked like how we dyed eggs at Easter. My glass was even red plastic, so it's possible she expected the egg to come out pink.

The noodle and egg combo was a hit, and she even had bonus cucumbers. It was a good lunch.

Beardy's fortune (top) is just stating the obvious.
And the cookie knows that Smalls lacks patience (bottom).

Bathroom report: Go through a curtained door in the back of the restaurant (it's the same door the wait staff uses to bring your drinks, so be careful because they may not be expecting toddlers underfoot). The women's is a two-stall (one handicap-accessible) but there's no changing table. Also, there was a sign that said don't throw any paper in the toilet. I guess this includes toilet paper? Ew.

Toddler friendliness ratings: 4 out of 5 booster seats. Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 booster seats.Food: 3.5 out of 5 booster seats. The kids' menu is a little uncreative with chicken fingers and fries, but we did create a meal Smalls liked from the sides menu. And it was cheaper than the chicken fingers.

1 comment:

Your blog about Vietnamese food is really interesting.I like Vietnamese cuisine food very much and i have tried many vietnamese recipes which i got from youtube and many other website. I like visiting Vietnamese restaurants in weekend.

About Me

I am a stay-at-home mom of a two-year-old girl. After my husband and I had our baby, we realized nothing was as simple as it used to be, including dining out. I want to share what I've observed while eating at local restaurants with my husband (a.k.a. Beardy) and our daughter (a.k.a. Smalls). I hope my toddler-friendliness ratings of restaurants' menu choices and atmosphere in general help other parents have a fun meal out with their kids. Or at least assure them that they're not the only ones who have had to hurry up and get that check before their kid completely loses it.